Peninsula Jazz Fest

When: Sun., April 3 2011

Springtime afternoon? Check. Outdoorsy setting? Check. Totally badass New Orleans-style jazz musicians laying down the tunes? Double check! That's the outline of today's happenings at Happy Days Lodge, a beauty of a live-music venue in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, as the Peninsula Jazz Fest returns for its 43rd year. Founded in 1967 by former Goodyear Tire & Rubber exec Walter "Mo" Klippert, the annual shindig has always focused on the Big Easy style of jazz; Klippert, after all, also helped found the Rubber City Retreads, a popular jazz combo that borrowed heavily from the genre. Today's edition runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Peninsula Library & Historical Society, the fest is free, although donations are happily accepted. For more information, call 330-467-7323. The Happy Days Lodge is at 500 West Streetsboro Rd. in Peninsula. — Niehaus